Many homeowners may feel that their efforts in reducing their collective household members’ carbon footprints are simply insufficient to make a positive impact on the environment. If you are one of these homeowners, don’t despair because it is possible to make a greater impact towards protecting the only planet we can live on.

The good news is that you do not even need to go far to look for these eco-friendly ways. Just go out into your backyard, look at your garden and the answer will come leaping right at you – compost! That is, if you have not adopted the methods of compost gardening yet.

As can be expected, there are many benefits to be had from making compost as your family’s next eco-friendly project. It will definitely make for a good time in terms of bonding with your children and educating them on eco-friendly issues in a more relaxed setting.

For one thing, you need not spend money on artificial fertilizers and pesticides as compost itself acts in these manners, one more than the other. Your household waste from your vegetable and fruit peelings to your own human waste – yes, we are talking about your poop – can be transformed into nutrient-rich compost.

For another thing, you are doing yourself and Mother Nature a favor by using compost in your garden. Your plants will not be exposed to chemical fertilizers and, hence, become organic produce. We all know by now the benefits of organic food.

Your soil, too, will benefit in the sense that its nutrient composition, resistance to pests, droughts and diseases as well as structure improves to significant degrees. Plus, there is also the fact that compost can hold as much as six times its own weight on water, which means that there is lesser need for irrigation.

So, how does one start making compost as a family project? Well, you have to make it a conscious decision amongst all the family members that composting will become a family activity from now on. In this way, everybody will make the conscious effort to segregate their wastes into ready-for-the-compost and ready-for-the-recycling-bin.

It will help your cause if you have already researched into the steps, tips and guidelines for making compost. Generally speaking, you should not place dairy products and meat of any kind into the rotting compost as these items will attract pests like flies and rodents.

Instead, newspaper print paper, wood shavings and plant clippings, fruit and vegetable peelings are the best materials to start on your compost heap. You may purchase a compost bin for the purpose although it is also advisable to make your own compost heap out of scrap materials like wood and chicken wire.

You must also educate yourself about the things like turning time, temperature and other matters related to making good compost. And if you do, you will always have a source of fertilizers and mulch for your garden without spending money on them. Think of it as saving the planet while saving your pocket.

Indeed, compost may seem yucky to your kids. It is up to you to educate them about the black gold that Mother Nature is giving us with to nourish ourselves and protect our planet from further harm.

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